Wildflower

14

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Liza didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she woke up. Slowly, she raised herself to standing, struggling to decipher what had happened. She blinked at the stars, at the near-eclipsed sun, and at the glimmering tendrils of pink brushing the skin of her lover.

Vezo.

She still couldn't believe what they'd done, but she could not find a shred of regret for it in her body. Instead, she felt whole, complete, like a part of her soul she hadn't known was missing had been filled. She gave herself ten more seconds to watch his beautiful, sleeping face before she gently shook him awake.

"Liza," he murmured, shifting. She watched as he stretched, the perfectly defined muscles of his torso becoming even more prominent as his skin pulled taught. His eyes squinted, then opened completely when he saw her. She supposed she looked a mess-- she could feel her wild hair and swollen lips burning as he swept his attention over her. "You are so stunning," he said under his breath, voice gravelly with sleep, as his gaze flicked up to the sky. "Shit. We've gotta go."

He got to his feet, re-fastening the strings of his clothes, while Liza made adjustments to her still-crooked top. They reached for each other's hands at the same time, and as they left the Tree of Souls, Liza imagined flowers blooming in their wake. She'd never felt such completeness, such serenity, in her entire life. Now she only had to hope that she'd made the right decision, going along with Sylwanin's revenge plan, so she could live out the future she'd had a glimpse of hours before.

For the first time since they'd met, they made their journey in complete silence. Nothing needed to be said, they only needed to be in each other's company, as they entered the village. Neytiri had told them to meet at the base of the hammocks, so that was where they headed, praying they weren't too late. As they reached their destination, though, it was clear that they were not.

"Wow." Tsu'tey said, a shocked smile breaking through his serious expression at the sight of the pair. Anuk and Neytep snickered, Sylwanin raising her eyebrows.

"Smells weird out here all of a sudden," Neytiri said, feigning confusion, as Sylwanin slapped a hand over her mouth. "Wonder where that came from."

"I love your hair," Sylwanin added, reaching out a hand to touch it. "Wonder where all these leaves came from?"

"What, were you rolling around on the ground or something? Whatever for?"

"Enough," said Vezo, but his shoulders were shaking with laughter. Liza hip-checked him, but didn't blush. She was so happy, she couldn't summon even a degree of embarrassment. Besides, every one of her friends looked nothing but happy for her. Sylwanin grinned at them, offering a silent nod of approval to Liza while Vezo was looking away. Tsu'teys alternating looks of jealousy and glances of longing directed at Sylwanin, however, did not escape Liza's notice.

After the ribbing ended, the mood quickly sombered. "Do we need to review the escape route?" Neytiri asked, her voice hardening. The night air suddenly went cool on Liza's skin as the weight of what they were about to do settled.

"I've got it if everyone else does," offered Neytep. The group offered nods of agreement. "The order is Sylwanin, Tsu'tey, Neytiri, me, Anuk, Vezo, and then Liza, correct? She will lead us out of here."

"Yes. Everyone is aware of their target?"

There was a murmur of assent as finally, Sylwanin stomped her foot. "Alright. Let's do it."